I know it is almost February, but I have been a little busy taking care of our baby (born 12/21/07). I decided that I need to make some reading resolutions for 2008. So here goes.
1.) Read more non-fiction. I love to read fiction books, but it is time to expand my horizons. I did enjoy reading The World is Flat and The Walk Across America (by Peter Jenkins). I would like to read a few biographies, some political books and I always enjoy books about personal achievement (i.e. walking across the U.S., beating the odds, etc.)
2.) Read all of this years Caldecott and Newbery Award winner books. I was able to do this last year and I really enjoyed all of the books. For those of you who are not familiar with these awards here goes. The Caledcott is an award giving to an artist of an outstanding children's book. The Newbery Award (the first children's book award in the world) is given to the author of an outstanding children's book. Go to www.ala.org for more information on these awards.
3.) Read more news sources. Currently I read articles from National Public Radio www.npr.org, I'll go to CNN, The Buffalo News and occasionally the BBC. I'd like to expand my horizons and read a plethora of diverse news sources. It doesn't hurt to get the news from a multitude of angles.
4.) Read at least three books I myself would never normally choose to read. How you might ask am I going to do this? Well I am going to visit the "virtual bookshelves" of all my friends on shelfari and choose a couple of books that I myself might not have picked to read, but that would expand my mind.
Well now I better get to these resolutions and begin reading! Happy New Year!
Friday, January 25, 2008
2008 Resolutions
Friday, January 11, 2008
Blog Tour
Only one real person. My friend, Steve, is not a fiction reader, and definitely not a fantasy reader. I convinced him to read a few chapters of The Dragon’s Eye. He assured me he would not finish the book. Well, not only did he finish it, but he loved it! So, when he asked me to make him a character in Book Two, how could I say no?So Steve is a character (I used the name “Steve”) in Monsters of Otherness. He doesn’t have a big role. And … Steve was surprised to find his character was not even human! (I couldn’t resist…) See if you can spot him in Book Two. He has some of the characteristics of my friend.
Do you ever dream about your characters and their world?
Most definitely. The deeper I get into the writing process, the more lost I get in my fantasy world. Sometimes the ideas I get in dreams are actually useful in my writing. Usually they’re just glimpses, though. Another interesting thing that happens when I’m immersed in writing is that I start to feel like I’m living with a foot in two separate worlds. When things go wrong in one of them it seems to matter less – I always have the other.
I know it sounds strange. But if I hear something bad on the news, and I’m immersed in writing fantasy, it tends to feel less real, somehow. I just think, well, Erec’s also in danger, and that’s almost closer to my everyday reality. Then again, you have to realize, I write eight to ten
Does it help to listen to a particular kind of music while you write? Or, do certain songs or themes come to mind when you think about your story?
Interesting – I cannot listen to any music when I write! It’s a darn shame, too, because I love music! I just end up hearing the lyrics in my head, and it pulls me out of where I am in the story. (I guess I could listen to classical music, just never was drawn there.)
I wrote most of Book One at my local Borders store. A certain spot in their café had just the right amount of white noise, with people chatting in the distance and music speakers far enough that I couldn’t hear lyrics. Other stores that had louder music made it too hard for me to write. And if people sat next to me and got into an
involved conversation I had to look rude and move! Since words are my medium, other people’s words just get in my head and mess me up.What music do you like to listen to?
I love Jack Johnson, especially his “On and On” CD. Blue October is spectacular, I love their “Foiled” CD. I also love Nancy Griffith’s music – and so much more! Music is a great release for me. Before I got used to radio and TV interviews I had to listen to certain John Lennon songs to get in the right frame of mind!
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I love movies, and try to go to as many as I can. Funny, because at the same time, I rarely watch television. When I do, I like the Daly show and Stephen Colbert on Comedy Central, as well as stand up comics! I love hiking and spending time with friends, cooking up goodies when I have time.
Kaza at the age of 5
Friday, January 4, 2008
Kaza Kingsley's Eric Rex Series Book Blog Tour
Introduction to Eric Rex from Kingsley's website
INTRODUCTION
Fantasy fiction author Kaza Kingsley won over young readers with the inventive gadgets, relentless action, and gross-out humor in her first book, Erec Rex: The Dragon's Eye. The book became a bestseller and collected numerous children's book awards, including the Benjamin Franklin Award for best new voice in juvenile fiction.
The highly anticipated second book in the series, Erec Rex: The Monsters of Otherness, deals with themes of adoption and acceptance under the mythological framework of the Hercules legend. As Erec fights to save the lives of 50 dragon hatchlings, his real quest is to uncover the truth about his own identity.
The excerpt below is called "Erec Buys His Memory Back." It's a short scene where 12-year-old Erec Rex visits the Memory Mogul to find out what happened to his childhood memories.
MONSTERS OF OTHERNESS is an awesome adventure, full of twists and turns, cool characters, mystery, and a lot of fun. Erec follows his heart when it’s not the easy thing to do, and goes against the odds to do what’s right. This is a wildly exciting book with pedal to the metal attitude!-Devon Werkheiser, “Ned,” star of Nickelodeon’s popular daily sitcomNed’s Declassified School Survival Guide
Kaza Kingsley won't let down fans of Erec Rex with this lively, imaginative sequel to The Dragon's Eye. It's a rollicking good read, with many layers that unfold into a captivating ending. The engaging characters, suspense, humor and vivid descriptions make it a great book for all ages.-Maria Schneider, Editor-in-ChiefWriter's Digest
Readers will be intrigued by a world filled with magic, friendship and thought provoking adventures.-Children’s Literature
"Erec Buys His Memory Back"
by Kaza Kingsley
It was not easy finding the Memory Mogul's shop. Most of the people Erec asked simply glared at him and turned up their noses. Finally a blind woman told him the store was near the edge of town, close to Medea's magic shop.
Inside the store, a counter stretched across the entire room. Behind it were racks of shelves covered with tiny packets. A small, spindly man hunched over the counter. His wild white hair and beard projected from all angles of his face, making him look like a dandelion gone to seed. He seemed to be in a daze.
The man remained still as Erec walked up to him. Erec cleared his throat, but the man seemed to take no notice.
"Excuse me."
The man jumped. "Oh! How's that for sneaking up on an old man? You should be ashamed of yourself, boy. Scaring me like that."
His wispy hair and beard waved around in the air as he spoke. It made him look so comical that Erec had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. "Now," the man said, "what were you saying, sonny? You have a memory to get rid of?"
Erec pointed at the shelves behind the man. "What do you sell here?"
"You don't know?" The man looked indignant. "Memory chips, of course. Splices. I cut, I take out, I add in. Anything can be altered." He coughed. "What was the question?"
"You were telling me about the memory chips."
"Of course. Memory chips. I've got all types." He waved a hand across the huge racks. "I've got bits of memories from all over the known earth and beyond. Want a bit of African jungle safari? Wild nights in the ogre bars? Dungeons? I've got plenty of dungeons," he said happily. "Of course there's no guarantee that the memory will be fully pleasant. But what fun would it be if it was all nice and safe, right? So what would you like, boy?"
"I'm not sure I want to buy any memories right now."
"So you're here to get rid of one? No problem. Would you like a replacement, or do you want to leave an empty gap where it was?"
Erec had to stop to consider. Why did Mr. Peebles suggest he come here? He said he might find out something about himself.
"Can I help you?" The man turned to him with a smile, white hair wagging around his face. He seemed to have forgotten their entire conversation.
"Do you happen to have any memories in the name of Erec Rex?"
The man chortled. "Oh, ho, ho! Erec Rex, eh? Even I remember the day I got the memory of Erec Rex. And I do admit my memory isn't exactly what it once was." He mused in silence a moment, then looked at Erec. "Can I help you?"
"I'd like the memory of Erec Rex. Tell me about it."
"You and everyone else, kid. I still remember the day his mother brought him here." His eyes sharpened, gained focus as if he could see her still. "He was real little, three, I think. And he was in trouble, hiding for some reason. He was here with another kid, and his mother had just changed their looks. They both got a chunk of their memories taken out that day. I talked his mother into giving Erec a replacement memory to take its place. It's usually easier on a kid to have some past to remember, I told her. It also doubled the price. And I happened to have a memory I had just gotten from a girl about his age. It was a short one, but who cared? It was something, right?"
The Memory Mogul's eyes danced as he relived old times. "His mom was real worried his replacement memory might be a bad one, but I told her it would be fine. The girl had looked nice enough. How bad could it have been, right? But then he started crying as soon as he got the memory, darn kid. His mom wanted me to erase it, but I couldn't do it for a week -- too dangerous -- so she had to leave it in." He shrugged. "Aw, don't worry about the kid. It was no big deal. His new memory was so short and hazy, and at that age it would only really come out in his dreams. The other kid there that day never got a memory replacement," he recalled. "The mom was too upset."
Erec gripped the counter, mind spinning. He couldn't believe his ears. He had known his mother changed his looks, but now this. And what was the memory replacement he got? Some memory discarded from a girl? What could it be? He squeezed his eyes shut. Something that would only come out in his dreams.
In the next moment he froze. His dreams? He remembered the nightmare he always had about his father. It was his only memory he had of his father. But what if -- Erec felt sick -- what if it wasn't really his own memory? So that wasn't his father then? It was someone else's father?
Erec's breath became heavy and he felt faint. He looked around the shop, but there were no chairs. He wondered if he should be glad that his memory of his terrible father wasn't his. He hated the memory, hated the man. But he had grown up with that memory nonetheless. It was all he knew.
The man tapped the counter, white wispy hair waving. "Can I help you, sonny?"
Erec stared at him. "I'd like to buy the memory of Erec Rex. Do you still have it?"
The man smiled. "Ah, Erec Rex. I still remember the day his mother came in the shop --"
Erec interrupted. "Do you still have it?"
"Oh, goodness no. I sold it the next day to a young man his age who had another memory problem to get rid of. But I wish I kept, I'll tell you. You and everybody else that's been in here want it. I could've gotten a good price on that one, yes sir. If I'd known how popular it would be, I'd have checked it out myself too. It's hard to resist trying out some of the memories I get in here, especially the more exciting ones. Of course, they can mess with your own memory if you're not careful. Not that I would ever let that happen to me."
Erec thanked the man, who settled back into a glassy-eyed stare. He didn't seem to notice when Erec left the shop.
Retail Price: $18.99, Hardcover, 349 pages. Published by Firelight Press, Inc., October, 2007. ISBN-10: 0978655575
Copyright ©2007 by Kaza Kingsley. All Rights Reserved. Please feel free to duplicate or distribute this file as long as the contents are not changed and this copyright notice is intact. Thank you